Beating Grocery Store Prices

Rising grocery store prices have turned beating the cost of food shopping into an art. But, if you know how to shop, where to shop, and when to shop for food, your grocery store bill doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. Try these tips for saving money on food at the grocery store:

• Buying in bulk can be a quick way to save money. Consider potatoes… they’ll last a month (properly stored), so why not buy a bag instead of just one? As long as you think you’ll eat the other potatoes, you’ll reduce your per-unit cost from around $1 to about 60 cents.
• Shopping where the prices are best is always a good idea. If you’re buying a lightbulb, why not buy it at the hardware store where the cost will be less than at the grocery store?
• Be aware of the cost of convenience. Pre-grated cheese will cost significantly more than that same amount of cheese, when grated by you. Staying away from prepackaged foods is almost always a good idea.
• Remember your coupons, but don’t buy something simply because you have a coupon for it. If you’ll never eat it, don’t waste the money.
• Try making fewer trips to the grocery store. Go once a week, instead of twice… especially with gas prices rising as quickly as they are.
• Stick to your grocery list. Only buy food that you know you need, and that you’ve thought about buying. Don’t make impulse buys on food items once you’re at the store.